Healthy Greens & Two Surprising “SuperFood” Heroes

Having been the underdog many times in my life, I’m all about rooting for them. I mean give them a fair shake and let them shine right? Well the same goes for so-call, superfoods, a term, by the way, that I hate. Why: it shines a big ol’ marketing light on certain foods (many of which are pretty pricey and some of which are not local) and disregards other great food like apples. So today I wanted to get specific on two underdog greens that just may shock you.

Health Greens & The New “SuperFood” Heroes

Roughly 70% of the population is deficient in magnesium and magnesium is heavily found in greens. So in other words, the majority of North Americans are simply not eating enough. Without it, we’d have twitchy eyes, brutal cramps, pellet poops, anxiety and nervousness and possible imbalanced blood sugar regulation. So please, stop allowing your greens to be the bed of your meals because no longer should it take it lying down. Here are two amazing ones in no particular order:

Iceberg lettuce

I know, for years we’ve been told that straight up, this leafy green is nutritionally bankrupt, right? However, a head of the stuff has more alpha-carotene, a powerful disease-fighting nutrient more than romaine or even spinach. If you’ve been measuring its nutrients by weight, then sure, it’s going to come last, but the true measure is by calories. I mean check out this comparison chart for example which makes it look a little more impressive and more on par to romaine lettuce:

Romaine Lettuce

Now before you ditch this leaf because of the chart above, don’t because what I’m suggesting is to be promiscuous with your greens because your body craves variety. In Chinese Medicine, this leafy green has been used in the treatment of alcoholism and one of the biggest things I love about it is that it’s rich in chromium. This mineral is crucial for those insulin-resistant PCOS gals because it helps to regulate blood sugar. That’s right, it will help to reduce cravings, reduce hunger and control fat in the blood.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Avocado Umeboshi Lime Dressing

Cut romaine heart lengthwise and drizzle the inside of the heart with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place onto your grill and I HIGHLY recommend the T-Fal OptiGrill. It’s SUPER easy to clean it’ll even alert you when your meat for example is medium rare or well done. So if you want to make your life a breeze, this is one of my favourite kitchen appliances hands down. Grill for 1-2 minutes tops and remove.

Avocado Umeboshi Lime Dressing:

Combine all ingredients in a small mixer and add water to thin out (otherwise it’ll be like a dip! Which is great for dipping veggies!)

This dish will literally take you 15 minutes to make tops! It’s not only great because of the romaine but also because the avocado in the dressing has vitamin B6 that helps to metabolize estrogen. This is huge for people suffering from ovarian cysts that may be estrogen-dominant and are ovulating late. The umeboshi is derived from the Japanese plum, which is highly alkaline and reduces dampness in the system.